iTuesday Review: Scribblenauts Remix for iPhone and iPad

I had a chance to briefly play Scribblenauts a couple years ago on a friend’s Nintendo DS. I was instantly blown away with the game. As iOS devices are the only gaming devices I own, I hoped someday it would make an appearance in the App Store. Last month, I happened to notice the game had finally made its way to the iPhone and iPad. It was available via the App Store for 5 bucks, which seemed a little steep to me. I decided to be patient and wait to see if it would go down by a couple bucks. That time has come. Scribblenauts Remix (the iOS installment of the game) is currently on sale for $.99!

As I mentioned, I have had my hands on the DS version of the game before. However, I didn’t play it for very long. Therefore this review won’t be making any comparisons between versions of the game, it will simply be a review of Scribblenauts Remix. I will say this though; I’ve done a little research and discovered that Scribblenauts Remix contains levels from both DS games as well as original levels for the iOS version. If you already own the DS version it doesn’t sound like you would be getting a lot of original content by buying this version of the game – so be warned.

Scribblenauts Remix really is one of the coolest games I’ve played on my phone. It’s a puzzle game where you create objects to solve different situations. For example, the puzzle might be that a police officer needs one of his tools. You could create any number of things by typing them in; a nightstick, gun, police car, badge. Some of the levels are that easy –but others take a lot of thinking. What makes the game so cool though is that you really can create anything you want. Say you want to create a giant evil red robot – you can do that. Think you’ll need a flying car? You can do that? Need a manbearpig? Yup – you can do that (and I actually did use that one to help solve a puzzle).

You can create anything you want -in this example I created a giant steak, chainsaw, airplane and a green monster

(for no real reason)

One of the easier rounds

a round that requires some thinking

The controls are a little weird. You play as a character named Maxwell. You can move Maxwell across the screen by putting your finger on the direction you want him to go. You use two fingers to look around the level. There’s also the option of using two onscreen joysticks. You tap on items to interact with them. This is where things get a little weird. Sometimes when you are trying to tap it just moves Maxwell around. It’s hard to describe unless you experience it. Just trust me when I say the controls are not perfect.

Another unfortunate part is the levels really aren’t replay-able once you know how to beat them. I’m hoping in the future more levels will be added, because once I beat the game I was left just wanting more.

Scribblenauts Remix is currently available for $.99 in the App Store. The game is a universal app for iPhone and iPad! There is no information as to how long that deal will last – so I say buy it right now! Even though the game contains just 40 levels that only last a couple hours – it was one of the most addictive games I’ve played in a long time. It’s a game that can require a lot of thinking, but stays fun the entire time. Totally worth $.99!

Final Rating: 8/10

CBR Break Down:Console Played On: iPhone 4

Approximate Time to Completion: 2-3 hours
Price Bought at: $.99
Recommend Purchase Price: Worth at least $1.99. Get it while it’s still $.99